Just wanted to point to something I had missed earlier – an article about how the Home Affairs and Women, Family and Community Development Ministries appear to be taking the human smuggling problem in our country more seriously.
It’s a real problem, and in my last job, I came across a lot of stories about people getting abused and exploited by traffickers. People would pay these agents for passage, and find themselves with a deal a whole lot uglier and cruel than the one they spent their equivalent of a kings ransom on.
The two ministries have agreed to look into new legislation that will expedite the prosecution of smugglers. Good on them.
WFCD Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil has some good things to say:
“We do not want Malaysia to be used as a transit point to smuggle women and children. We will not allow anybody to use Malaysia as a transit point,” she said.
She said her ministry also asked for women victims of smuggling to be separated from other detainees at the Immigration depots or police cells.
“We hope there exists a separate room for these victims. They did not break any law. They are smuggling victims.
“Datuk Seri Radzi has agreed to establish a protection centre under the Immigration Act but it will be managed by the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry,” she added.
Excellent. I am truly encouraged that DS Shahrizat has come to make that crucial distinction wherein victims of smuggling are not criminals and have done nothing to deserve the kind of treatment they currently receive at places of detention; I’m also happy DS Radzi has taken her at her word. Good on them (especially if/when these changes come into effect).
A quick pat on my back to former colleagues who’ve done so much to propagate this better and clearer understanding of the situation.
I do hope the Home Affairs Ministry, led by Datuk Seri Radzi Sheikh Ahmad will continue their good work in focusing on activities such as these and the censure of errant employers of foreign labour rather than indiscriminate, massive round ups of immigrants.
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